Lets get one thing out of the way first, it's obviously going to remind you of Blair Witch. Seriously, can any 'found footage' movie not get that comparison. About halfway through the movie I got really worried that it was going to end up the same way as well as the kids wander into the woods and wind up getting lost. Thankfully that's not how it worked out.
Quick rundown on the flick. 5 students, Cassy, Mark, Leo, Tanya and Miriam, head out to Miriams aunts house to celebrate her birthday. It's way out in the boonies and it's quite the trek up there. Along the way they keep being followed by a mysterious van. Eventually they make a turn that the van doesn't and arrive at the house. They're shook up from the van incident and things begin going up and down. When they finally manage to have a good time, something bad will happen. We already know they're all missing so you can figure out what the end result of the movie will be.
The acting is well done which is a good thing because thats what's carrying the movie. You get a crappy performance and you get a crappy movie. I believed it all. If they were scared, you could feel it. If they were laughing, I was laughing especially during one scene where Cassy (Laurel Casillo) is pretending to be Leos (Ryan Maslyn) mom. I was laughing out loud and it emphasized the impact of the film. I really got into the performances and experienced the emotions with the characters. As for the villain of the piece, you never see him. I like that aspect of the movie, actually, I like that in any movie. When you can't see or hear the villain it seems to make them that much more evil. You're mind makes up who this person is and what their motivation is and what you think in your head is probably going to be much worse than what a filmmaker could show you. I always find it much more effective.
While I did enjoy the movie, it's not without its problems. It's a 'found footage' movie but it has a soundtrack at certain parts. Nothing too obvious but it's there. It helps to build the tension and is effective in its use but it goes against the entire 'found footage' concept. There's also another part that works against the 'found footage' aspect but I won't go into it as it plays an important part of the film. I wouldn't want to ruin anything.
It's also a bit slow to start. I found myself getting a bit antsy, wondering when something was going to happen. They're on this long drive into the country so it's understandable that not a lot will be happening but I think some people may be turned off by this. Once everything starts to head downhill the film picks up and I was on the edge of my seat. Like I had said earlier, there's a point where they head out into the woods and get lost. I immediately was overwhelmed with a feeling of "Oh no, this is how it ends up right? I'm watching a new take on Blair Witch." I mean, I was worried that this was the end of the film. It doesn't end there and I'm glad it didn't. That would have destroyed the movie right there and I had really been into it up to that point.
The final scenes are tense, creepy and even gave my heart a jump at one moment. It's a slow burn towards a great explosion at the end but haters of Blair Witch will never be able to get through it. It stands on its own but if the 'found footage' movie isn't your taste then it's not going to sit well with you. I personally love these kinds of flicks and really got into this one. I was up and down about this one for a while. The soundtrack and other moments that go against the 'found footage' idea bothered me at first but it's these things that wind up making the movie that much better and that's the point, to make a great movie. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but I got into and really enjoyed it.
Quick rundown on the flick. 5 students, Cassy, Mark, Leo, Tanya and Miriam, head out to Miriams aunts house to celebrate her birthday. It's way out in the boonies and it's quite the trek up there. Along the way they keep being followed by a mysterious van. Eventually they make a turn that the van doesn't and arrive at the house. They're shook up from the van incident and things begin going up and down. When they finally manage to have a good time, something bad will happen. We already know they're all missing so you can figure out what the end result of the movie will be.
The acting is well done which is a good thing because thats what's carrying the movie. You get a crappy performance and you get a crappy movie. I believed it all. If they were scared, you could feel it. If they were laughing, I was laughing especially during one scene where Cassy (Laurel Casillo) is pretending to be Leos (Ryan Maslyn) mom. I was laughing out loud and it emphasized the impact of the film. I really got into the performances and experienced the emotions with the characters. As for the villain of the piece, you never see him. I like that aspect of the movie, actually, I like that in any movie. When you can't see or hear the villain it seems to make them that much more evil. You're mind makes up who this person is and what their motivation is and what you think in your head is probably going to be much worse than what a filmmaker could show you. I always find it much more effective.
While I did enjoy the movie, it's not without its problems. It's a 'found footage' movie but it has a soundtrack at certain parts. Nothing too obvious but it's there. It helps to build the tension and is effective in its use but it goes against the entire 'found footage' concept. There's also another part that works against the 'found footage' aspect but I won't go into it as it plays an important part of the film. I wouldn't want to ruin anything.
It's also a bit slow to start. I found myself getting a bit antsy, wondering when something was going to happen. They're on this long drive into the country so it's understandable that not a lot will be happening but I think some people may be turned off by this. Once everything starts to head downhill the film picks up and I was on the edge of my seat. Like I had said earlier, there's a point where they head out into the woods and get lost. I immediately was overwhelmed with a feeling of "Oh no, this is how it ends up right? I'm watching a new take on Blair Witch." I mean, I was worried that this was the end of the film. It doesn't end there and I'm glad it didn't. That would have destroyed the movie right there and I had really been into it up to that point.
The final scenes are tense, creepy and even gave my heart a jump at one moment. It's a slow burn towards a great explosion at the end but haters of Blair Witch will never be able to get through it. It stands on its own but if the 'found footage' movie isn't your taste then it's not going to sit well with you. I personally love these kinds of flicks and really got into this one. I was up and down about this one for a while. The soundtrack and other moments that go against the 'found footage' idea bothered me at first but it's these things that wind up making the movie that much better and that's the point, to make a great movie. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but I got into and really enjoyed it.